'Nobody knows how the money is being spent': MUN student resigns from Board of Regents

A student representative on Memorial University's board of regents is going public with her reasons for resigning this week, citing instances of bullying, harassment and gaslighting from fellow board members.

Brittany Lennox told the St. John's Morning Show she hoped to be an activist for students, but instead spent 10 months in a toxic environment that jeopardized her mental health.

Every time I voiced my opinions, they were shot down.- Brittany Lennox

"How they made me feel was horrible about myself," Lennox said.

Lennox said she was harassed for her criticism of how money is being spent by the board, which focuses on fiscal matters at the university.

"Every time I voiced my opinions, they were shot down. Sometimes I would say things that I knew were true and I was called a liar, which is gaslighting," said Lennox.

'Nobody knows how the money is being spent'

"When you say something that you know to be true, the other party knows it to be true and they go out of their way to convince you that it's a lie — that happened," Lennox added.

She said it's important to hold the board accountable because it spends millions of dollars of public money, as well as students' tuition fees.

​"And they're doing it in a way that's completely untransparent and nobody knows how the money is being spent — and students want to know," Lennox said.

"Students want to make sure that the money they're spending and putting into this university is being spent on things that are going to help them succeed."

'I'm shaking doing this interview'

Lennox said the uncivil behaviour continued for months and she eventually stopped speaking up in meetings altogether.

By September she decided to step down, but said it took weeks to write a formal resignation letter.

"I wanted to make sure there were very specific examples of bullying and intimidation and gaslighting so the administration couldn't come back and say, 'We don't know what she's talking about.'"

She sent her six-page resignation letter to board members Monday before sharing it publicly on Facebook. At the advice of a lawyer, she redacted more than three pages of the letter so as to not violate a confidentiality agreement signed when she joined the board.

The things that I experienced are things that I'm not allowed to talk about.- Brittany Lennox

"One hundred per cent of what happens within the board of regents is confidential, and so the things that I experienced are things that I'm not allowed to talk about because they happened within board of regents meetings," she said. 

According to Lennox, her lawyer advised against sharing specific details even with the province's minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Labour.

"I was actually advised by my lawyer to not share the unredacted version of my letter with Gerry Byrne because the confidentiality of the board does not extend to the government," she said.

"He was saying, 'To protect yourself if you're afraid' — which I am, I'm shaking doing this interview — 'even Gerry Byrne is not entitled to read the confidential happenings of the board.'"

Chairwoman surprised by allegations

Iris Petten, chairwoman of the board of regents, told CBC she was surprised to hear that Lennox felt she'd been bullied.

"We have a number of members on our board from the community, from students reps and alumni reps, and sometimes we do have some very great discussions, debates around board issues," she told the St. John's Morning Show on Friday.

"I guess part of that is some of that debate around those very sensitive issues."

Petten disagreed with Lennox's characterization of board meetings as "toxic."

"We have to have respectful views as serving on the board. We're covered by legislation, the Memorial University Act, and as part of that we also have a set of bylaws," she said.

"One of the things we indicate in our bylaws, to be a member of our board, you have to be willing to have some of the debate and ask some very tough questions and be respectful of everybody's opinion."

You have to be willing to have some of the debate and ask some very tough questions.- Iris Petten

Petten said she wished Lennox had shared those concerns with her, and added Lennox could have brought up her concerns in private, in-camera meetings.

"We just have to make sure that she's feeling comfortable, that she could speak up. I was surprised that she felt that," said Petten.

"She never once came to me to say, 'I was feeling that way.' She had the opportunity in the in-camera things. We do have to have respectful debate."

Asked directly if she'd witnessed bullying behaviour, Petten evaded the question.

'Healthy tension' on board, says chairwoman

"The students, their opinions are valued on the board," said Petten. Asked again, Petten said there is "healthy tension" but also balance because of the wide range of people who volunteer.

"We do have a number of people on the board that have a lot of experience," she said.

"They're from varying backgrounds, and everybody has an opportunity to present how they feel and to contribute to the debate and the conversation that we're having."

Petten insisted there hadn't been any bullying.

"It's unfortunate that she feels that way," she said.

"I would like to be able to have the opportunity to speak to her about that, and I'd still like for her to talk to us. I'd like to hear her ideas about how the student experience on the board could be improved."